Le Jeu de l'Amour
by CoffeeMarbles
Summary: Axel fell head over heels for a feisty blond model, but how will he cope when Roxas leaves his side, and a sexy French-speaking look-alike enters his life with the unwavering goal of winning the redhead’s heart?
1. Ch1: The Lost and Newly Found

Le Jeu de l'Amour

Disclaimer: Back to Squeenix, of course, and this idea spawned from another picture from Deviantart, check the bottom A/N after reading for the link x)  
(Main) Pairing: Axel/Roxas

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Chapter 1: The Lost and Newly Found

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The clock was ticking repetitive keys in the quiet bedroom, marking the slow, steady pace of a wasted Sunday afternoon. The room was quiet, with doors and windows closed to seal off the faint chirp of birds outside. There was a faint hum from the heater, but the sound of metal hitting enamel rendered it mute.

_Think, think, __**think**__, dammit. _

Axel leaned back on his swivel chair, the niche of his boots acting as clamps on the edge of his writing desk, preventing his tilted seat from upsetting. His long fingers twitched the writing utensil continuously between his thumb and pointer finger, causing the metal cap of his pen to hit is teeth repeatedly and send out unknown Morse codes.

Click, click, click.

_Think, what the hell would __**he**__ say?_

Click, click, click.

The college student sighed, clamping down his pen between his teeth to let his arms fold back and cup the back of his head. He pressed his back onto the backrest, letting his neck rest on the cushion. Green eyes stared aimlessly at the ceiling. Thoughts of how to make a letter sound sexy but on no grounds corny swam laps around in his head. Black pupils simply searched beyond the ceiling, hoping to find an inspiration to the writer's block. He was so entranced in his own thoughts, his vision completely ignored the moving black dot that was creeping across the dirty ceiling boards.

_Fuck. Why the hell is it so hard to write goddamn letters nowadays?_ _If the little brat didn't lose his damn grip on his cell phone or laptop, we'd be having some fucking great long-distance se—_

"HOLY SHIT!" The tall male squealed, and his legs retaliated by kicking the desk. The man realized his false move as he tipped backwards on his chair, almost swallowing his pen while avoiding the fat spider that had descended from the ceiling.

Large hands groped blindly on the carpeted floor for something blunt—something blunt, heavy, and capable of smacking a damn arachnid to the far side of the room. His fingers settled for the thick French workbook, and Axel promptly decided to practice his tennis backhand.

The thin, sticky thread snapped on collision, and the black spider flew towards the door. The spider ricocheted off the whitewashed wall near the door and scrunched into a petrified ball on the carpet. Axel dropped his book, letting the spine hit the carpeted floor and fall open as he scooted backwards away from the curled up mess.

_Il y a un Starbucks à côté de la bibliothèque qui s'est ouverte récemment. Est-ce que tu veux acheter le café avec moi?..._

Why, oh why were such abominations created to litter his damned _bedroom_ of all places. It was the fourth one this week.

_I hate spiders. Why the hell do they come and harass __**me**__? It's not like there's room in here to live a comfortable life._

Axel took a panorama view of his room. The room resembled the aftermath of an impromptu tornado attack, and restoration committees have yet to come clean the mess. Axel couldn't blame his lack of will to clean up his room—he didn't really want to approach the small stack of dirty dishes and sticky mugs sitting atop his dresser.

_Huh. Maybe I should clean up my room._ Long fingers raked bouncy strands of fire red hair as emerald eyes peered at the idle lump near his door. His eyes flicked back to the open textbook, uneasy to pick up the contaminated paperback._ Or not._

_Quel type de café préférez-vous? Je vais aller au _Starbucks _avec Jacques, est-ce que vous voulais venir avec nous? _

Coffee. Heh, coffee sounds good. After determining that yes, he would like some coffee, but no, he didn't want to go with Jacques, any thoughts of housekeeping that drifted through his head were immediately diminished by the shrill cry of his digital watch. It signaled four in the afternoon.

The crunch of crumpling paper filled the air as the attempted letter was balled up and chucked into the trash bin at the foot of the Teak desk. Axel reached his dresser after careful steps to avoid tripping on his textbooks, and after shuffling through the piles of folded shirt, pulled out a maroon jacket. He smacked the gaping mouth of the dresser shut and stalked towards the door to escape to his daily coffee shop. He hesitated, however, upon seeing the still spider rolled up on his floor. After haste decision, he reached back to grab a relatively stainless glass from the top of his dirty dish pile, sealing the bug on the carpet in the glass dome.

_Note to self: do NOT trip over that son of a bitch when you get back._

* * *

The temperature had crept into autumn weather, Axel noted. It was near the end of October, and promises of midterm exams would be starting soon. Exams and cold weather didn't exactly play very well with Axel, especially when he didn't have someone beside him to ease the pain a little. The thought flowed into a bitter growl in his throat, and he pulled up the zipper to his jacket even further, nearly catching his neck in the metal teeth.

No, this school year wasn't playing out for the redhead at all. Ever since his blonde companion left for some modeling agency somewhere, the college student was left to fend for himself in the mean, lonely little world. Setting his dramatics aside, Axel settled for just being sexually frustrated for the last three months, no Roxas to warm his bed.

He thought back to the time he had met the delicious blonde in person after four months or so of online chats. Needless to say, the redhead was not disappointed. To be put simply, Axel was rather...nomadic when it came to love, relationships, or just the act of sex. In fact, during his later high school years, anyone dating him was known to be "playing with fire". He was one of the biggest flirts around the school, and he relished in his extroversion—his reputation as a bad-ass heartbreaker was even known in rival high schools! However, it wasn't until a rather traumatic (or epiphanous) incident at his senior prom, which included about seven girls, and, as he remembers, two guys coming after him—the girls with their high heels tugged off and held in their hands as malicious weapons, and the guys with glasses of grape juice and plates of cream cake gripped in both hands—did he realize that he should toss away some of that player ego…just a bit of it anyway.

A sharp shiver shot up his spine. If he remembers correctly, it took him about three days to get the icing out of his hair.

Unfortunately, when the redhead entered college, he never really settled down in a relationship because he didn't find anyone that was worth chasing, and his preference for both men and women didn't really aid in his decision either. It was only after some time surfing the internet did his opportunities begin to brighten up. He had met four people after two weeks of joining an internet dating chat room called "Organization Hearts", and had met every one of them in person as well. Too bad that every one that Axel met, they turned out to be all 'bogus'. They were nothing like the persona they had shown off in the chat rooms, especially that one girl, Larxene, who had seduced him with girly wiles during several sessions of steamy conversations. Who knew that in real life, she was a sadistic, manipulative bitch?

Axel pulled out a packet of Marlboro cigarettes from his coat pocket and fished out a blue lighter from his other. He lit the pale stick, and casually took a drag, releasing the long puffs of white through his chapped lips.

There was one tiny exception to those little online mishaps, Axel supposed. This one guy with a Mohawk, going by the name of Demyx, had chatted him up and was, to Axel's surprise, in the same general area where he lived. _Great fun to be with_, the red hummed thoughtfully, taking another drag from his cigarette. Axel had spent about a week with the musician (who actually hadn't been lying on his profile), and he had, during a night out at a public park, almost crept into third base with him until he met the boy's boyfriend. His _boyfriend_. It was a horrific moment—one minute, the redhead had his tongue blissfully exploring the wet cavern of Demyx's mouth, and the next, out of no where, he found himself licking the barrel of a Browning pistol that was shoved between his spit-slicked lips. If that wasn't enough to scare the flustered college student, the eye patch and the patterns of snaking scars running across the holder's scowling face and arms just about made Axel shit bricks.

Axel nearly dropped his smoking white stick upon recalling that one incident. He remembered he didn't log back onto the chatroom until two months later, when he signed on for the sake of keeping his account alive. It was then when he noticed he had received, in the midst of the many apology messages sent by Demyx, two invitations to a private conversation with someone going by the username of "DestinyKey". After checking out the profile of this mysterious user, Axel had gathered that the person was male, three years younger than him, went by the nickname "Roxy", a college drop out, and a full time fashion model. He was instantly and completely seduced by the absolutely stunning profile photo this "DestinyKey" had uploaded. It didn't take very long for the tall male to become absolutely enticed with the sapphire blue orbs the boy displayed in his bedroom eyes, and those sunset yellow tresses that were whipped into a messy but stylish hairstyle.

Their conversations were fresh and fun, Axel recalled as he made a right turn into the adjacent street. Their conversations had been natural, with moments of intriguing hilarity, moments of either sexual or platonic teasing, and moments of crappy arguments. It was their small arguments and bursts of natural frustration with one another's stupidity that made this boy stand out from the rest. Everyone else Axel had talked to were so…so fake, so rehearsed. If Axel had stated that the world was indeed flat, the other users would have easily played up to his desires and agree with him. However, this young model in particular would have him going for an hour about how he was a stubborn fucktard and how he could have ever thought that there would be the possibility of this redhead to be smart enough for him.

And almost always after their arguments they trailed onto more interesting topics, and Axel grew completely captivated with this feisty kid. After a few more months of online chatting, they had agreed to meet up. Roxy was on vacation from his modeling career, and was more than willing to pay for the plane ride to see Axel. Axel, still a little shaky from his meeting with Demyx's boyfriend, waited nearby their chosen area for rendez-vous, and gave the young male a call from his cell phone. As he answered and responded to the blond on the other end, he peered around for any sign of a young, scrumptious boy answering his cell phone. And to his absolute bliss, he caught the sight of the breathtaking model across the street. Axel had noticed that he didn't dress like a snooty fashion model at all. He looked like an everyday kid, with a beige short-sleeved jacket, baggy grey pants and dark runners that looked about three times too big for him, making him look rather young. In fact, he looked a little _too_ young; at most he looked like he was about to enter tenth grade. So as a precaution, Axel carded him. After determining that yes, "Roxas Tredeize" was indeed nineteen, Axel became well-acquainted with the blonde's fist.

They had spent the day walking around the sun-kissed town, sitting down for mochas and going out to the harbor for ice cream as they talked and talked about anything. Roxas seemed like an enigma to the college student; he'd narrate his stories of modeling and traveling to pinpoint precision, but refuse to go into detail of when he was in diapers or attending high school. Instead, he'd put on his disgruntled face and attempt to push him out into on-coming traffic. As another stroke to Axel's victory streak, he was happy to discover that Roxas was as just as irresistible and irritating as he had been on the internet.

He was refreshing, he was real, he was…he was Roxas.

Axel didn't think he could fall head over heels for the boy in such a small amount of time. He felt completely smitten with the blonde, and found himself constantly tugging him close when they walked. What came as a surprise but also as a slight disappointment was the tendency for the younger male to ignore his advances. Unlike the rest, he didn't immediately fall victim to Axel's coy suggestions, or let the two of them stray anywhere further than mild make out sessions. The boy would be prompt to punch the college student across the face if his hands trailed anywhere below his shoulders. He's such a little bitch for playing hard-to-get, Axel noted, and it was exactly what made him crave him even more.

After a week of staying at a hotel, the blonde finally went along with Axel's suggestion to stay at his apartment for the remainder of his three week vacation. Not surprising to Axel, Roxas had retaliated in complete repulsion to the mess in the redhead's apartment. After two hours of shoving, poking, and frustrated moans of irritation, the blonde had convinced Axel to clean up his entire apartment, toilets and all.

"I'm not staying in a pig sty", the blonde had firmly stated. And Axel made sure he stayed. The redhead scrubbed, washed, and swept up his suite to near perfection (with the unwavering sergeant stare of the blonde). He even took the time to throw out several uncouth profanities into the blonde's face in the process. By the end, the two had gotten what they wanted: Roxas was staying, and Roxas could live in a relatively clean apartment. And that was more than inviting enough for the two to strip all inhibition and engage in a heated battle between the (clean) sheets.

Emerald eyes spotted the destination halfway down the street. The Marlboro had withered down, and the redhead plucked it from his mouth and stomped it out before proceeding to his coffee shop.

Oh yes, the blonde was definitely good. He loved the way his own name would be cried out in a hungry moan that spilled from the blonde's pink lips as the petite male grinded in time with him, and how deliciously natural the way the name "Roxas" would roll off his own tongue with every expert nibble, lick, and suck the young model would press on his neck. What thoroughly won him over was the fight for dominance. The model didn't give in to being pinned on the mattress so easily. No, they constantly battled it out to show who was better on top, which made their actions grow in fervor. It didn't take the blonde long at all to find all of Axel's weak spots, the most sensitive one being his left ear. It drove him up the wall. Axel had never been one to fall submissive but after mind-blowing sex with the blonde, he realized that the grass is green, no matter which side of the fence he was on. After the first session, the two males found themselves tangled against each other almost every day or evening for the rest of his stay, legs knotted together, hands running up and down one another's muscles, and their bodies connected hotly at the mouths and pelvis. Turned on? Oh, yes, far more than Axel's ever been.

The redhead had to pause before reaching the coffee shop to readjust his hips in his beige trousers and to cope with the slight heat that had pooled down there. He didn't try to hide she smirk he was sporting, because he knew, somewhere, right now, the blonde probably felt the same way. As he entered the same coffee shop he had brought the blond on their first date, vivid images of the blond hair and blue eyes filled his mind to the brim.

When the day the model had to go home arrived, Axel felt his heart drop to his stomach. Roxas had reassured him that he'd be back for during the winter, but it didn't help the redhead much. There was a four month gap between his day of leave and his day of return, and at that point, Axel no longer felt the thrill of sharing a bed with anyone else other than this beautiful kid. The two males kept in close touch through long conversations on the phone and e-mails, but after the first month and a half, the two devices were rendered useless. Roxas then began sending letters, informing Axel he had his cell phone and laptop stolen from the change room during a fitting in New York, and it'll be a while before his newer ones came.

It wasn't that Axel hated writing—on the contrary, the student was anticipating a degree in Literature—but he had never gotten used to writing letters to people, stamping them, and sending them off (and having to deal with the expenses). It felt different to him, and it wasn't as easy as pumping out a casual e-mail with emoticons embedded in the message. He was always so amazed that the model could present such linguistic magic to his letters, yet the English major himself couldn't press out messages worthy of a passing grade in his responses. Suffering constant writer's block, he always got his letters out rather late after receiving them, which was hectic as the blond would never stay in one hotel for more than a week. His current response had dragged out two weeks with no inspiration, which made him feel even worse, seeing as Roxas would have already shifted locations and could only tell him where he would be residing in the next letter. And to top the cake, he had lost the last two letters in his train wreck of an apartment (which had returned with a depressing vengeance after Roxas left), and so he no longer remembers where the blond was and would be strutting his stuff. Milan? London? Axel didn't know, and he wanted to throw himself off the bell tower for being so irresponsible.

The coffee shop was busy, as always, with a majority of the small tables taken up by everyday coffee-goers. There were two people in front of him, so he patiently waited for his turn. When it was his turn, he ordered Roxas's favorite drink, Sea-Salt Cream Macchiato, in a vente size in hopes to sooth his longing for the blonde, who wouldn't be returning to his side for another month. Oh yeah, the poor boy had it _bad._

He was just about to leave the coffee shop and mellow over his loneliness when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Sitting near the back of the coffee shop was a slender male sitting alone, looking over the novel clenched in his hand while blowing a large blue bubble from his pursed lips. He was dressed in an olive green and yellow array of form-fitting shirts, with a long pistachio striped scarf slung across his shoulders. What captured the redhead's focus was how the fabric clung to his body in all the right places, showing off a long, shapely torso. Hell, if he could see that from where he was standing, then he must look like a God up close.

Thoughts of gold hair and blue eyes escaped him as he made his way towards the breathtaking male. Change of heart? No, not exactly, more like succumbing to hormonal rush. The young boy was still looking over the page when Axel quietly walked up to him from behind. The boy didn't seem to hear, what with those pink and green headphones glued onto his ears.

Axel stopped short. The boy had lavender hair. _Lavender_. It was even whipped up into a hairstyle similar to the blond he'd been craving all summer. Green eyes scanned over the back of the male's body, from his lean shoulders to the loose belt sitting comfortably on his delicate hips. He bit down on his macchiato-sticky lips to prevent himself from licking his lips. The better part of his conscience was beating him with a wooden stick, telling him that he's in love with Roxas and he'd be a complete jackass if he'd moved in on this specimen, but the perverted side told him that the throbbing in his pants wants this male glued and grinding against him. This boy was exotic, Axel thought, and he was sure to get to know him better.

"Hey there, you new around town?" Axel swiftly brushed his long fingers across the boy's left shoulder as he made his way around, propping himself beside the empty chair that sat across from the purple-mane beauty.

"Huh?" The smaller male tilted his head up from his page, dropping the cover and letting the pages meld together as his fingers twitched and his lime green eyes went wide. Axel nearly creamed his pants when he stared down at his acquaintance. The boy was _adorable_. He looked like he was seventeen, making Axel quite possibly more than five years older and a full out cradle-robber, but it wasn't enough to fend off Axel's sudden infatuation with him. The one sitting down pulled off his headphones and let a tiny gasp of surprise slip pass his mouth as he attempted to say something, but Axel cut him off.

"You new around here? I haven't seen you at this shop before." Axel extended a free hand. He noticed the smaller boy frown at his hand before hesitantly slipping a hand to grip a greeting.

"_vous…vous ne m'avez avant jamais vu?_" The boy questioned very quietly and slowly as the taller student let himself drop into the empty seat across from him.

Axel's mind went blank.

_Oh fuck. He speaks French. Why the **hell **didn't I listen to Riku and pay attention in class._

He cleared his throat. "Uh, sorry? Could you…uh…repeat that? Je ne parle pas Français…?"

The male with lavender hair blinked in mild confusion, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh, je m'excuse. I said 'you 'ave not seen me before?'"

"I…don't think so?" Axel took a long swig from his hot drink, not taking his eyes off the gorgeous being before him. It then shocked him how much he resembled Roxas. His lilac hair was styled into a messy do that looked almost similar to the blonde's, except it looked a little longer. This mystery boy had a well sculpt jawline, but looked a little more slender. Propped on his nose was a deep magenta half-framed glasses. Behind them were the absolutely glorious lime green eyes that stared back with a message that Axel couldn't read. He was too busy checking out the rest of this familiar beauty to interpret those messages.

_What the Hell? He looks so much like him_. Axel started feeling uncomfortable, with images of his blue eyed companion flooding back with thrice fold strength.

"Roxas? Is…that you?" Axel growled cautiously, his hand settling his large drink down on the table. He stared intently into the pair of green orbs before him, trying to pry into his identity.

"_Qui?_" The boy responded in a low chuckle, folding his arms on the table as he tilted his head in question.

Axel bit his cheeks. Smooth move on that part.

"Oh, I…uh, sorry, you look like someone I know. What's your name?" Axel stumbled over his words, taking another large drink of his coffee to disguise his embarrassing introduction.

The boy didn't respond immediately, but gave a crooked grin. He turned away and looked in the general area of the shop's coffee counter, looking thoughtful. "You are bold, monsieur. You touch my shoulder, you interrupt my reading, you sit down without my permission, you demand me of my name, you keep looking at me with that…that strange look, and…"

The tall student felt his throat go dry. Was he going to flash the homophobic red card? He didn't exactly take that into account when walking over. Actually, he didn't really take anything into account when approaching this boy. What was it that made this lilac haired beauty so irresistible that made him believe he could meet him without any preparation?

"And 'oo eez this 'Roxas' you said? I don't tell my name to just anyone, mon beau étranger. What makes you so _unique_?"

_Did he just call me beautiful?_

Damn. He certainly knew how to play hard-to-get. Axel never thought this boy would toy with him like this, and it made the hair on his neck stand up on end. He had such a sexy French accent, and his boyish voice caused more than dirty thoughts plowing through the redhead's mind, one of which included an image of the fair skinned male dressed up in a black and white maid outfit, topped with a frilly white headpiece and dark stockings. The boy's simple grin had enticed Axel's leg to imitate a sewing machine, and his exposed jaw line as he turned away made the redhead want pull the boy over by the scarf and attach his mouth to his neck. The taller of the two nonetheless kept his face straight, putting on a coy, teasing smirk.

"How about you tell me your name," Axel leaned over to the table, catching the attention of the young boy, "and I'll tell you more about myself while showing you around town and a walk down the harbor?" Axel lowered his eyes to a half-mast, fixing the stranger with a suggestive look. In response, the boy's lips upturned and he tilted his head more to examine this redhead.

"Qu'est-ce que c'est ton nom, monsieur?" The French speaking beauty caught Axel by utmost surprise when he leaned over as well, minimizing the distance between their faces as he questioned him in a slow, breathy sentence. The sweet scent of his fruity bubble gum, mixed with a familiar coffee aroma filled the college student's nostrils. Axel swallowed the saliva that was pooling in his mouth from eagerness as he lost himself in the predatory look the boy was giving him.

"Dis-moi ton nom."

_Shit, shitshtshitshit don't lean forward any more, Axel—you are so getting your fucking ass kicked later._

"I'm Axel," the redhead answered. He swallowed a bubbly groan before finishing his introduction, "got it memorized?" His hands were slicked up and clammy from pressing his palms to the table to prevent reaching up and touching the boy's face. "So how about returning the favor?" To relieve himself of the surging heat pumping through his veins, he tried to distance himself a bit from the good-looking male.

But this stranger wouldn't have it.

The teenager pressed his stomach onto the edge of the table, letting his weight balance on his left arm that was folded on the table while his free hand reached out and tugged gently at Axel's collar with thin fingers.

"And," the boy stretched further across the table so his mouth was a breath away from Axel's left ear, "what eef I told you that you'd 'ave to buy me ice cream to win my name, Axel?"

"Win your name, is it?" Wow. This kid is good. Is he the apprentice of Don Juan or what? The redhead thought he was going to faint from the breakneck speed his heart was pumping. All sound from the café itself was lost into a low muffle in the back of his mind. The only thing audible was the breathy voice of this forward male and the loud pounding ringing in his hears. He gave an undignified squeak when he felt soft lips brush the contours of his ear as the young male continued with his slow seduction

"_La vie est un jeu, n'est pas?_"

Soft fingers teased their way up the red collar to graze over the quivering Adam's apple, making the redhead's breathing hitch.

_Oh yeah, Axel, barely five minutes and you're turning into a helpless pile of goo in a coffee shop. Just imagine how Roxas would react if he came walking through that fucking door right **now **and saw you moaning into the shoulder of a complete stranger, quite possibly an **underage **one at that. _In quick panic, the redhead's eyes scanned the coffee shop for a recognizable face. To his surprise, no one was staring at them; they were all absorbed in their own activities. Axel's conscience was constantly slicing the side of his damp brow with a sharpened halo. On the other side of his head, he could feel the searing hot teeth of a miniature pitch fork jab at his convulsing jaw. You started this, big boy, Axel heard the voice sneer, so you better play it right.

"Y-yeah, I know this **great** ice cream parlor that sells delicious popsicles—and ice cream. You like popsicles, don't you?"

"Bien sûr, especially the kind avec la _crème_ filling…" he cooed sensually, "I like to nibble the tip of the popsicle and lick away the melting cream…" and then he caught the lobe of Axel's left ear playfully between his teeth.

And the redhead saw flashes of white explode across his eyes as his head took off in a totally different world.

Okay, Axel knew that his charming smile and sexy personality can easily win over anyone, boy or girl, but now, he felt he was on the wrong end of the leash. This flirty epitome of temptation had easily thrown out any discipline the redhead may have had out the window to die under the wheels of passing cars. Worst yet, his hidden heat was viciously mocking him, pressing against the fabric of his boxers, trapped within the boundaries of his trousers. It overwhelmed him, and he forced himself to gently push the yummy man candy away from him.

"Holy shit, are all French people this…friendly?" He asked, positioning himself just a bit farther from the grinning face before him. The taller male was sure his face had flushed red. He had heated up so much, he was positive he could fry an egg on his cheek. The other boy, however, looked as relax and mischievous as ever.

"You shake 'ands 'ere when you say 'ow are you, correct? We kiss in France, Axel." The boy casually licked his lips, and Axel nearly fell off his chair from the violent jump that occurred between his legs.

"Wait, what? In France, you kiss when you greet people? Like _French_ kiss? Is that where it comes from?" Axel's own emerald eyes blinked in mild confusion. He hadn't traveled much to know about this kind of custom. It sounded strange, but at the same time rather hot.

The melodic ring of the boy's laugh pulled the taller male's lips into a goofy grin.

"No, silly, not _French _kiss. Eet eez called _la bise_." He shuffled slightly in his seat, pulling his body closer to the table. "When you faire la bise, you give someone two to four air kisses on each cheek. In the Provence, Parisiennes generally kiss two to three times."

"So how do you know who gets to start first so you don't knock heads or something?" Axel snickered, listening in earnest.

"Eet depends. Some parts of la Provence 'as people following a pattern of left, right, left, right, while other parts go right, left, right, left. Any one can start la bise when you're with la famille ou les amis. For your coworkers or les aquaintences, you let the older one start la bise. For example, eef you are meeting your boss, you let 'im start la bise. If you start it, that eez a sure ticket to be fired." A hand came up to push the pink glasses frame up further on his nose.

"Oh, that's interesting," the student commented, absorbing the information in a quiet hum. "Acquaintences? That includes total strangers? That's…kinda weird, don't you think?"

The purple haired beauty fiddled with his scarf as he giggled childishly at the redhead's comment.

"Non, tu ne fait jamais la bise when greeting strangers," green eyes flicked up to burrow into Axel's darker ones, "but we are not strangers."

Axel felt his heart skip a beat as he stammered, "what do you mean?"

Damn, what happened to the composure he thought he had?

The devilish glint returned to the boy's eyes as he leaned forward on the table, slowly extending both arms to softly take hold on the redhead's collar again. Axel caved in easily, and allowed his upper body to be drawn across the table.

"You said I looked like someone you know, non?" Warm fingers were stroking at his neck again. "And that's good enough for me."

Axel's breaths came in short puffs now as his cloudy eyes moved perpetually from the boy's attractive eyes to his pink lips that were left parted as he spoke.

"You are probably older than me, Axel. That means you get to initiate la bise," the boy suggested with an irresistible allure, "and since you are…'ow you Americans say…'newbie' at it, I'll let you 'ave some practice."

When Axel heard the French male's attempt to incorporate a foreign jargon into his speech, he wanted to snicker. But the boy didn't let him. Instead, his laughter was swallowed when he felt his collar being tugged.

"I'll let you 'ave some practice," the mystery boy repeated, "so you'll 'ave one target, mon beauté aux yeux verts."

"But you're supposed to kiss both cheeks…" Axel stated absentmindedly, all his attention drawn to the tempting lips in front of him.

"Ah, because it might be un peu difficile for an inexperienced Parisienne as yourself, I'll let your target be…" the grip on the red fabric tightened, and the boy drew their faces closer together, angling his head without breaking the intense contact between their hooded eyes, "…my lips."

Axel's eyes went wide when he felt the hot, velvet breath of the other wash over his parted mouth. He soon felt the soft skin of the boy's lips brush ever so lightly against his own, but whether or not it was he himself who had leaned forward to initiate this…"bise", he didn't know. His eyes fell shut. He didn't try to fight the low moan that crawled up his throat. The feeling was so intense, even though their lips were barely grazing one another's. One of his hands finally parted from the table top and rose up to touch the kid's jaw.

_Fuck._

The red head leaned in, and sealed off their lips in a full kiss. He tasted sweet and felt so familiar, Axel noted as the boy's mouth moved painfully slow against his own. Feeling his self-control leave him, the taller male unknowingly parted his mouth to let his warm tongue lightly feel the other's bottom lip. He savored the brief flavors that he collected.

Chocolate, coffee beans, vanilla cream, the fruity bursts from the remnants of his gum, and something with a hint of salt…like sea-salt. Sea-salt tasted good. Roxas tasted good too.

His thoughts suddenly burst in through the doors and his hands ascended to push the purple-haired male back a little less than gently, breaking their contact with a soft smacking sound. Like magic, the surrounding noises of chatting patrons, clicking mugs and steaming milk came back at full volume.

"Your name!" Axel said in a wavering pitch, "you didn't tell me your name yet! That means we're still strangers! That means we can't do this kiss—I mean this _bise_!"

Slender shoulders shuddered underneath Axel's grip as the boy laughed again. "Je m'excuse, I completely forgot." He leaned back on his chair as his chuckle faded. He looked relaxed, and appeared to act as if the kiss never happened.

"Je m'appelle Xaros."

"Zeh-roh? Like the word 'zero' in French?" Axel asked quietly, still trying to fan himself off from the brief contact he had with this kid's lips a moment ago.

Xaros smiled kindly, "exactement."

"So, how exactly do you spell that?" Axel asked in curiosity. In his head, only Z, E, R, and O came to mind.

"X-A-R-O-S, Xaros." The boy replied, the same smile still tugging at his cute mouth.

The redhead took a moment to digest what he had heard. Was it just him, or did he just enter some sort of Twilight-zone? Okay, maybe bad analogy seeing as he did live in Twilight Town. He cleared his throat again, tugging slightly at the collar of his T-shirt underneath, "so, Xaros, _est-ce que tu veux acheter la crème glacée avec moi_?"

The lilac haired beauty gave another giggle before tucking his novel into the cardinal red book bag hanging from the back of his chair. "Bien sûr, of course. Ice cream for my name, non?"

A quivering grin played on the corners of Axel's lips as he stood from his chair, making sure his long jacket was pulled down. Was it nervousness? He watched as the boy removed the headphones sitting around his neck and tucked the music device into his large bag. Xaros adjusted his scarf and tugged down on his shirt, making the array of metal chains hanging from his brown studded belt click together. Axel's wandering green eyes scanned the male's frame, down from the lean chest, inching down the faint designs on his olive shirt and down the two pairs of legs that were concealed within loose fitting jeans, letting his eyes linger a while longer on the slender hips. He clenched his teeth together.

Axel took a couple of steps to match Xaros side by side as they strolled casually away from their table, leaving the half-finished Sea-Salt Cream Macchiato to sit on the table in its forgotten state.

Axel pushed the brown door open, allowing the green-eyed wonder to slip passed his arms. Axel's eyes followed the teenager's movements, noticing that he's around the same height as Roxas. Then a thought struck him.

"Hey, Xaros?" The college student pressed a hand on the smaller male's back, steering him in the direction of the nearest ice-cream parlor.

"Hmm?"

"How old are you?"

"Moi? J'ai dix-sept ans." Two rows of pearly white teeth were uncovered as the teenager grinned wildly, his smile almost reaching his ears. Axel coughed out a nervous laugh.

Oh Hell. The kid was seventeen.

Axel, just what have you gotten yourself into?

* * *

A/N

nijuuni . deviantart . com / art / Just - fooling - around - with - Roxy - 71363531

Alright! Chapter 1 up and running 8D I've been tinkering around this idea for a while, and it'd be great for some feed back! It's my first multi-chapter, and I really wanna know what you guys think of it so far. The reminiscing bit was a killer to write, in all honesty xx I hope it didn't hinder the reader or the flow of the story. I'm always looking for ways to improve, so please, both comments and critiques are welcomed! How this all started? Like the Disclaimer said, from the above link. There was just something about lavender hair and green eyes that made something just...click in my head, ha ha.

Comment Replies: (If there's another way to reply to messages here on FF, please tell me--I'm still a newbie at this ; )

iluvtoady:Thank you very much, honey ) I'm very happy that Red Cycles could stand out to you!  
Tekko: Nice! I'm glad you liked it, as well as those "desperation leaks" ;P  
DarkChibiBenemoth: Thank you!  
RainingDiamonds: Thank you so much, dear! Your comment was very pleasing to read! And I really appreciate the critique--reading it over again, I suppose that it was rather long winded. It never seems like it when you're writing the story XD;  
Yaoifan2386: Hee, glad RC could keep you intrigued :)  
StarlightBlue: Ahahaha, I wouldn't call it perfection, but it's pleasing to hear that anyhow )!! Thanks! 3

XIggyX: Thank you!  
MoonlightFire: Haha, thanks! It's usually how I picture the "perfect" Axel/Roxas relationship--it runs on teasing and playing hard-to-get :P And I'm glad I could make you smile with it ) Thanks for reading!  
LiisuT: Thanks honey! Thanks for reading and taking the time to let the fuzzy tingles sink in x)!  
Arkaham: Thank you very much )  
Guzophela: Haha, thank you for those simple words x)


	2. Ch2: Using Ice Cream to Dig a Grave

A/N  
Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's baaaaaaack. Yikes, talk about a delay. After finally peeling myself away from Twilight Princess and Mario Kart, I finally managed to pump out Chapter 2 of the little French tease (whew). I'm sidetracking a little, forming some notes on another possible multi-chapter...far before this one is done HA HA HA talk about loading the basket with far too many eggs.

Oh, and um, you'll get a smidge taste of my sad attempts at poetry here. I'm rather embarrassed, really...I can't believe I left it in. My goodness, I smell so much cheese and corn and je ne sais quoi, I could open up a restaurant. A French one.

Oookay, onto the story. R&R!

* * *

Le Jeu de l'Amour

Disclaimer: Back to Squeenix and Nijuuni for the little lavendar-haired tease.  
(Main) Pairing: Axel/Roxas

* * *

Chapter 2: Using Ice Cream to Dig a Grave

* * *

"I didn't know you like sea-salt ice cream," Axel stated as both males left the parlor with their choice of treats.

"Mmm, I 'ave not tried…what eez eet called? Sea-Salt? Non, I 'ave not eaten eet before, but eet sounded interesting, so I thought I'd try eet." Xaros shrugged, toying with the napkin wrapped around the stick of the blue popsicle. "Eez eet bad?"

"What? No, it's good, it's different. Not everyone likes it though." Axel leaned forward and nipped off the tip of his Mint Chocolate ice cream, adjusting his hand around the waffle cone.

"Et tu? Tu l'aimes aussi?" lime green eyes stared off to the side, admiring the colorful shops lining the long street.

"Yeah, I do. I like things that are different," Axel replied coolly, taking a large lick from his creamy treat.

"Est-ce que tu aimes moi, Axel?" The purple-haired male asked quietly, his white teeth biting tenderly at his popsicle stick.

Axel stared down at him, just a tad befuddled, "what? Yeah, I like you; why else do you think I'd be showing you around town if I didn't like you?" _Actually, you seduced me pretty well back there…_

"Je t'aime aussi."

"Uh, thanks. You're alright, kid." Axel gave a weak chuckle. He licked the edge of his cone to stop the melting cream from trailing any further down. His face froze when he felt soft fingers play against his free hand.

"So," Xaros started casually, "where are you taking me?" The teenager let his fingers intertwine with the redhead's.

_Hell, this kid doesn't waste any time does he?!_ "I, uh—" he quickly released his own fingers from the tender grip to jerk back his sleeve. "It-It's four-forty-five right now, so it's going to get dark in an hour or so, so, um, let's walk around a bit before hitting the harbor." Axel explained, tucking his sleeve back down and slipping his hand into his jacket pocket, "you're visiting from Paris, you said?"

"Oui," replied Xaros. Axel noticed he had a rougher edge to his voice as he said this, and watched rather guiltily as the boy jabbed his abandoned hand into his jean pocket.

"So I guess this is your first time in Twilight Town?"

"Oui. Actually, I've never really 'eard of this place before, until my mother told me to go and visit my cousin 'ere."

"Oh? Your cousin?"

_Could it be…? No, it couldn't be…he doesn't live in Twilight Town, but…_

"I have a cousin who looks exactly like me, same red hair, tall. We almost look identical, 'cept you know, I'm better looking. Do you look like your cousin too?" Axel gave himself a pat on the back for suddenly remembering his weird cousin at this moment. It obviously came in handy to ease into that question. Is Roxas really his cousin?

_If he is_, the redhead shuddered, _I'm in deeper shit than I am now._

"Oh, no, not really," a blue-stained tongue snaked out to graze across the shell of the popsicle as he spoke, "for one thing, she's a girl, but I guess we look the same eef you consider 'aving light purple hair very similar,"—Axel felt his head do a victory air-punch—maybe not so much out of victory, but more out of relief—"and she 'as, um, brown eyes while I 'ave green."

And what pretty green eyes they are, Axel thought. "Cool. You guys close?"

"Um, non, pas vraiment. She doesn't speak much at all…"

"Oh, I see." Long fingers played with the small lumps of loose lint in the red jacket, letting the end of the conversation settle in nicely. He took this quiet time to peer down at the small male from the corner of his eye. He was still absorbed in his popsicle and looking around at the various shops. The top of his head came up to his shoulder—_Just like Roxas, _he thought. He had a very lean frame, and the loose belt around his hips only made them even more touchable. Without peeling his searching eyes off the teen, he let his tongue focus itself on the green and brown ice cream in his hand. He had to finish his ice cream before it got too chilly anyway. Besides, the less ice cream there was, the less dirty images he'd have of licking the treat off this kid's chest. Maybe his stomach too.

Then Xaros decided to show Axel just how much he loved his ice cream by letting out a small moan as he dragged his tongue over the tip.

Now **that **was uncalled for. Axel nearly dropped his cone as he coughed on the smooth, melting slab of minty ice cream in his mouth. His eyes watered as his throat was itching in a cold, irritated sensation. The pair stopped in their tracks as the redhead coughed furiously, trying to rid his windpipe of the invading ice cream. The tall student was keeled over, making obscene hacking noises from his mouth as his right arm kept his melting treat up like the Olympic torch. Xaros slapped his upper back, his face contorted in an expression of worry and amusement. Some of the pedestrians had paused briefly to stare at the duo before slowly making their way around them.

"Oh mon Dieu—are you alright?!"

Axel nodded, his eyes screwed shut as he felt his throat stop trembling. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine, really—" He straightened out his back, wiping his damp eyes with the ball of his free hand. His esophagus rumbled as he cleared it with a grunt. He was still a bit disoriented from the whole ordeal, so he nearly ran his ice cream into his hair when attempting to rake through the red forest.

The younger male looked up at him, and clenched his stomach as he laughed.

The tattooed redhead stopped combing his hair with his fingers and looked down at the laughing boy. "What's so funny?" He felt the corners of his own mouth twitch as he continued to observe the giggling boy. His laughter was contagious.

"N-n-nothing, mais ton visage—" his sentence was cut off by another fit of boyish giggles. A thin finger was pointing in the general area of amusement.

"Huh? Wha—" Axel took his clean hand and touched his cheek, and yelped when he felt a cold, creamy substance smeared on his face and fingers. He pulled his hand back and examined his hand. It was green with a small piece of dark chocolate. "Bugger." The redhead growled and took the napkin that was wrapped around his waffle cone to clean off his cheek and sticky fingers.

_Oh yeah, very manly, Axel. Veeery manly._

"Well, I'm glad you found that hilarious, Xaros." Axel smirked, wiping the last smudge of cream off his jaw with the green-stained serviette. "Just so you know, I'm normally not this clumsy."

"I'll 'ave to take your word for that, Monsieur Axel." The shorter of the two slipped a finger beneath the rim of his glasses to wipe away the tears. His mouth was still pulled in a grin, his chest heaving as the laughter died down.

"Come on, let's go," Axel nudged his new friend into motion, "I'll take you to the harbor. You can see a really nice sunset there." Axel threw his dirty napkin into the passing trash receptacle as they walked down the street towards the cool harbor. The sky was already beginning to paint pink and orange colors on the clouds overhead. In the distance, a bright glowing orb was closing in on the horizon.

The pair strolled down the cement surface of the long harbor. Boats of various sizes lined the dock, many of them creamy white and shining in the setting sun. Out on the rippling waters, small white speedboats raced back and forth. Overhead, seagulls were making random shapes as they soared through the air, contrasting with the clouds that were slowly deepening into a vivid pink. As the two walked and chatted, both males found themselves far more interested in one another than the cold sweets in their hands, hardly touching their respective treats as they talked. As the harbor slipped into a peaceful emptiness, Twilight Town residents making their way home for dinner, the two ended up settled on a whitewashed bench that stared out into the vast ocean.

"So, you're a writer?" Axel asked as he bit off a large chunk of the waffle cone's soggy edge.

"Oui. I 'elp write articles for my school newspaper, and send in poems and poetry to public poetry workshops." The smaller boy was still trying to finish off his own icy treat as well.

"Sounds interesting," the redhead commented, tearing off another piece of cream-slicked cone. "Can you make one up on the spot?"

"You mean, une poeme?" The lilac-haired boy turned to him, the popsicle stuck between his lips.

"Yeah!"

"Oh, um…what eez eet you want me to talk about?"

Axel looked up at the pink clouds, thinking. "How about…I dunno. Oh Hell, how about you make a poem about me? No, nothing about narcissm, please." He chuckled, chewing the damp waffle treat.

Xaros smirked and settled back on the bench, thinking up an impromptu poem for his companion.

"_Axel, the lost coffee bean…" _He began, clearing his throat and adding a few dramatics with his straightened back and graceful hand movements. Axel smirked, fully entertained.

"_Wandering, wandering  
Looking for a love that will drink  
His uniqueness, his little world  
Wandering, wandering  
To find another coffee bean  
To share his flavor with  
To love his dark, smooth skin  
To love his taste  
That no one can discover  
Until they grind him"_

Xaros was grinning again, his green eyes glistening in an amused dance. His lips quivered before letting out a loud burst of laughter. "Je m'excuse! I'm not very good at making up poems on the spot! It's what I thought of when I look at you!" To shut off his laughing, he bit down on his popsicle, taking a cold chunk of salty-sweet ice and cream.

"No! It's cool!" Axel reassured, laughing along. "It was awesome! A little sexual, maybe, but that's some talent. I can't make up a poem like that, even though I'm majoring in literature!"

"Tu es serieux? You're majoring in literature?"

"Ah, yeah, I am. Sorry, I guess I didn't mention a whole lot about me after all." Axel snickered, raking a hand through his blaze of crimson hair. "I'm planning on getting a degree in English literature at Twilight College. Planning on going for another year though—worked for a year after high school."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. 'ow about you write a poem for me?"

Axel snorted, "I told you, I can't do that kinda thing. I know, it's ironic—me, a third year Lit student who can't write a poem. It's sad, really."

"You are so modest, I'm positive you 'ave your own poetic flare." The French beauty plucked a small chunk of his icy treat as he continued to look at Axel with intrigued eyes.

"Hah, alright, you asked for it. How's this for professionalism?" It was Axel's turn to switch on his inner drama queen as he puffed out his chest and stared distantly into the glowing ocean, his chin and nose in the air.

"_Roses are red__  
My hair is red too  
__Your eyes are like lime  
What an awesome hue."_

There was a pause, then a small snort, and a laughing grenade suddenly exploded between the two, uh, poets.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Axel watched in amusement as Xaros attempted to cease his snickering by biting desperately at his popsicle, "you asked for it!"

"C'était une poeme superbe, Axel, I liked it."

"Stop, stop, you're making me blush," the tattooed male joked, listening to the sniggering fade into pleased hums, "S'only 'cause it's true, Xaros."

"You're too kind, Axel." The boy shifted closer as he nipped his popsicle again, sitting so his thigh touched the redhead's.

Axel acted on instinct, drawing himself closer and draping an arm behind the boy's shoulder. The two remained quiet for a while, sucking on their ice cream. It wasn't long until Axel recalled what Xaros had told him in the coffee shop.

_I like to nibble the tip of the popsicle and lick away the melting cream…_

His eyes dropped down in perverted curiosity. He didn't try to hide the fact he was observing the smaller male eat his suggestive treat. The teenager was indeed nipping the open tip, plucking at it gently with his teeth and pink lips. Axel swallowed his spit as he continued to stare, watching the boy pull in the length of the melting ice into his mouth before stopping again to suck the tip. The redhead suppressed a groan as he took in the fact that the sea-salt shell of the popsicle was glistening in Xaros's saliva. He watched in fascination as the boy dragged his blue tongue up the sides and dip into the cream he'd exposed. He didn't know how long he'd been watching. Time and space didn't click into his mind as he watched in intense interest. The weather forecast this morning had told him it'll be chilly that evening, but Axel thinks otherwise; he's sitting there at the harbor in a thin T-shirt and a jacket, and he felt like he was about to faint from the boiling heat surging in his body.

"Axel?" The boy turned to him, pulling off the remaining ice off the wooden stick.

--And Axel jumped in his seat. "Huh!?—oh! Uh, yeah, what is it?"

"Your ice cream eez melting."

Axel looked at his hand that was holding the cone. Indeed, it was melting, and the remaining cream had slipped passed the uneven bite marks he'd made on the waffle cone and made delicate trails down his long fingers and wrist.

"Aw, shit." Remembering he had thrown away his own napkin, he unhooked his arm from around Xaros and patted himself down, looking for a stray piece of paper that might be hiding in his coat pocket.

"'ere, let me 'elp," Axel heard his friend say, feeling the cone being plucked from his hand.

"Oh yeah, right, you have nap—" He stopped in mid-sentence. Instead of feeling the coarse texture of a napkin, he felt the warm wetness of the beauty's tongue. With wide, shocked eyes, he looked down at the teenager who was currently engrossed with Axel's trembling hand.

Lime green eyes were hooded, focusing on the task at hand. He sucked gently on the cream-smeared knuckles, cleaning off the sticky treat before moving down the length of Axel's long fingers. Before Axel gathered the strength to protest, Xaros grabbed his forearm and captured his index finger in his lips and slowly enveloped the ice-cream coated digit into his mouth. His tongue was warm, really warm, Axel noted as he let his eyes roll back with the sensation. The twitching tongue lapped at his finger, cleaning it thoroughly before moving onto the next finger.

Axel felt a familiar stirring in his pants, and he let out a helpless whimper as his teenage companion gently dabbed at his wrist with the tip of his tongue.

"Xaros…" Axel breathed, watching the boy finish off with his task.

"There, I'm done." The French speaker stated calmly, pulling back to lick his lips. He returned to him his waffle cone. Axel stared at him incredulously.

"Why did you do that?" Axel asked, his voice hitching with arousal and panic. "Why didn't you just wipe it with your napkin?"

"My napkin eez soaked with the melted sea-salt, and I 'ad used eet to wrap up my finished popsicle stick." The responding boy shrugged, "besides, I wanted to do that." After adjusting the strap of his book bag on his shoulder, he got up. He threw his napkin into the trash, but instead of returning to his seat, he walked over to the white harbor railing. Axel, who was still stunned, was left sitting alone on the bench. His fingers were still moist with the remnants of Xaros's saliva, but that wasn't what was bugging him. What continued to bug him was the enjoyment he felt as the boy sucked his fingers, despite the fact that he's treaded on dangerous territory. He looked up, and saw the teen's lonely silhouette against the orange sunset. The lanky male shook his head and decided to throw away the rest of his cone. It no longer looked tasty to him, as something that measured higher on the appetizing scale was standing out of arms' reach.

He slowly walked up to join the teenager at the railing. The boy was leaned over, chin resting on his entwined hands as his folded arms spanned the length of the cold railing. Axel sighed and stared out into the glowing horizon. The sun was half enveloped in the glistening ocean. The two remained silent.

"Je suis desolé," a small voice finally said. "I'm sorry. C'était stupide. I shouldn't 'ave done that."

Axel sucked in a deep breath, rather unsure of how to respond. "No, no, it's…it's fine."

"You are angry with me."

Axel felt his lungs burst in protest. "No, I'm not mad at you, Xaros. It was just a bit unexpected, that's all." He scratched mindlessly at his temple, "it's not everyday when you meet someone so interesting, manage to steal a kiss, and have your fingers licked in a time frame of under an hour you know. And I'm pretty sure we're sober through it all."

"I like you a lot, you know." Xaros admitted quietly, "I've only known you for about an 'our, but when you came over to my table at the café, you really attracted me."

"I'm attracted to you too," Axel insisted.

"Je suis vraiment desolé, I acted too boldly." Purple bangs hung in front of confused green eyes, and Axel fisted his hands to stop himself from reaching out and brushing his face.

"No, it's okay, really. I…I liked it." The redhead mentally punched himself across the face. What on earth was he doing? He's just swimming laps in his pool of dilemma! He managed to let out a choked laughed. "It's, you know, it's just kinda weird, I mean—I'm kinda too old for you, don't you think?"

The boy turned to him, a weak, mischievous grin plastered on his face before examining Axel's body with his eyes. "No, you don't look too old."

Axel laughed again, "sure kid, I may not _look_ old, but I'm a good five years older than you. If we keep this up, child services are going to be on my ass for the rest of my life."

Xaros moved closer to him, "I don't mind, Axel. Meeting someone like you is rare." His words grew softer as he spoke. "Tu es drôle et tellement gentil. J'aime ta personnalité audacieuse—mon dieu, c'est—c'est si séduisante."

Axel felt fingers toy with his long T-shirt that was poking out from under his jacket as he tried to decipher the language.

_You…you are…gentle? I love your…something personality…Fuck, subtitles would be helpful right about now._

"Hell, Xaros, I love hearing you speak French, and believe me, it turns me on so much I could probably be a substitute for fifty search lights, but I've only taken it for two years! I can barely manage in a French restaurant without sounding like I'm drunk!"

The smaller boy chuckled, running his fingers tenderly across the ridged hem of his red windbreaker. Axel could only stand there, debating whether he should grab hold of the hands and push them away, or take him by the shoulders and pull him closer. In the end, he decided to do nothing.

Axel heard a voice scold him as the lilac-head took another step nearer, his body just inches away from his own. He looked up wondrously at the redhead's face, a smug look on his face. "I said you're funny, and kind, and I love your bold personality…"

_Well, speaking of bold…_

"…you look sexy. And you…'ow you say…'turn me on'."

"You're pretty easy on the eyes too." Axel mentally cursed at himself for physically responding to the boy's closeness. He ignored the chiding voice in his head and eventually found himself caging the boy between his arms and the railing. "If I'd known Paris had so many…friendly people, I wouldn't have rejected my parents' constant nagging to visit my aunts there."

Xaros chuckled, letting his book bag slip off his shoulder as he shifted comfortably around, now facing the older male. "You know, we didn't really finish your training yet. You 'ave yet to know how to faire la bise. Until you do that, you won't understand the customs of Gaie Paris." Xaros let his back rest on the cold railing behind him as he gazed into the sun-kissed face of the redhead.

It was like the front door to his conscience was always left unlocked and some kind of alien vacuum was sucking out all reason and logic from the crevices of his mind. Why? Why did it have to be so easy? He had such a good grip on stopping Xaros's actions, so why did it have to stop now?

"You reckon we should start again?" Axel smirked, leaning in closer to the irresistible creature. He was sure his eyes were already misty with _want_.

"You feeling confident enough to 'ave two targets?" Xaros asked in a flirtatious tone, his hands reaching out to take hold of Axel's jacket pockets.

"I don't know, Xaros. I'm pretty inexperienced at this," Axel whispered, "maybe I should stick with the one target for a while."

Xaros's slender hands pulled gently on Axel's pockets, reducing the distance between their bodies. "When you faire la bise, you give an embrasser, or a small air kiss to the other person's cheeks, like this." Xaros leaned forward and tilted his head, just barely grazing his soft lips against Axel's left and right cheeks, repeating the actions twice. "So you try."

Axel stared into the greens before him, watching them flutter close as he tilted his own head to the right to meet the boy's lips. He pressed against the tender skin before moving back, tilting his head to the other side, and reconnecting their mouths. Like Xaros, he repeated his actions to match the count.

"How was that?" Axel asked softly.

Xaros kept his eyes closed, a small smirk playing on his lips. "C'était…magnifique. Now do eet the Parisienne way, Axel."

He played along, lowering his head so his lips pressed faintly on one cheek, before moving onto the other. He repeated "la bise" twice, like how the French speaker had done, but instead of pulling back after the fourth one, he let his lips linger a while longer and trail warm kisses on the teen's jaw and neck. He was pleased with the quiet sigh Xaros gave.

As Axel spoke, he let his mouth brush against the other male's. "So, do I pass the test?"

Xaros lifted his arms and hooked them around the redhead's neck. "I'm sorry, I'm a terrible teacher." He said coyly, "I wasn't paying attention. You'll 'ave to do eet again."

There was a small voice crying out in the back of Axel's mind as he continued to drown himself in the depths of Xaros's glowing green eyes. It was like falling into a beautiful trance in a green ocean, drowning, drowning, while the voice of reason faded into an incomprehensible gurgle. The sun had sunken deeper into the ocean, and it was growing dim. The boy's eyes, however, continued to glow, glistening in what looked like lusty mischief.

"You'd better pay more attention," Axel breathed, wrapping his arms around the shorter male's back, letting the weight squeeze his crossed arms against the railing, "or else I might do something stupid."

"like what?" Xaros teased.

"Like mistaken la bise for a _French_ kiss." All remaining logic left him as he plunged onto the mouth below his own. He felt Xaros's warm arms tighten around his neck, drawing him closer, closer, until the boy's chest rubbed against his stomach. He groaned, moving his mouth against this stranger's own. It wasn't as soft or gentle as it had been in the coffee shop, but Axel didn't complain. He pressed deeper, parting his lips to let his wandering tongue go for an exploration on the other's lips. To his surprise, Xaros's mouth was already parted for him, a warm tongue meeting him halfway. The moment their wet muscles collided, Axel pushed his weight onto the smaller male, causing both of them to bend slightly over the railing. A hand rose to support the shorter male's neck, and the boy let his head fall back on the hand, deepening their kiss.

_He's a good kisser,_ Axel told himself, upping the strength in his tongue. He relished the taste of vanilla and sea-salt that clung on the boy's moving muscle.

Xaros whimpered, losing the battle as Axel's bold tongue searched his mouth. The boy managed to catch the redheads tongue with his teeth. Axel flinched in surprise, but let out an erotic moan as he felt his warm muscle being sucked gently in Xaros's mouth. Unwilling to fall submissive in the kiss, Axel drew back. He didn't leave the Xaros any time to protest as he dove back in, this time attaching his lips to the boy's neck. He heard the boy release a mewling noise, rousing him to thoroughly attack the silky skin.

The smaller boy wasn't still. His hands had unwound themselves from the redhead's neck and were finding interest in the firm muscles on the college student's torso. Instead of unzipping the man's jacket, he let his hands wander beneath the hem of the coat and felt up the thin fabric of the male's T-shirt.

Axel brought his other hand from behind the boy and tugged at the boy's scarf and shirt collar. He pulled the two items aside, exposing more skin. He lapped his way down the tanned neck and bit gently on crook of his shoulder. He was only at it for a few more seconds before his actions were interrupted. He hissed in pleasure when he felt the boy's hips collide with his own.

There was a gentle tug on his hair, tingling the redhead's senses while coaxing his head away from the bruising skin. Xaros pushed forwards and stood up on his toes, pressing his insistent lips to the redheads. Axel, being the gentleman he is, curved his posture to help aid the height difference, pulling the warm body closer to him in the process. The lip-lock turned open-mouthed rather quickly, and Axel noticed that the taste of mint, chocolate, sea-salt, and vanilla had disappeared. The teenager kissed his cheek, giving it a teasing lick.

"I can still taste le menthe chocolat," Xaros rasped, giving Axel's skin another lick before switching to the other side. His mouth moved quickly along the man's jaw, stopping slightly to abuse the tender skin below his left ear before kissing higher, higher…

Axel snapped his eyes shut and let out a loud moan. His mouth dropped and his jaw was convulsing as electrical charges squeezed through every blood vessel in his body to pool together near his groin. His shaking hands ran down the boy's lean body, gently massaging his sides before coming to rest on the thin hips. He felt his legs buckle as Xaros punished his ear.

"Oh g-god…!"

Axel was beginning to wonder if this kid was a porn star in his past life. The redhead was already out of breath and struggling to keep up with Xaros's pace. He was both relieved and disappointed when the boy's mouth left his ear to collide back with his mouth. The taller of the two tightened his grip on the teenager's hips, pulling him so close that he was positive their hips would eventually fuse together.

"Remember my poem, Axel?" The boy panted against the redhead's wet lips. "Axel, the lost coffee bean, wandering, wandering to find another coffee bean," his hands reached around and slender fingers hooked onto the belt loops of Axel's beige pants, " to love 'is taste that no one can discover until they grind 'im." And as an emphasis, he pulled the thin hips closer and jerked his pelvis upwards into the redhead's. He grinned triumphantly, swallowing Axel's moan in his mouth.

Axel felt thunderstruck. How was he _doing_ this?

A wisp of gold and blue zipped by his closed eyes, and a vivid mental image of him kissing a blonde flashed briefly in his mind. It was enough to cuff him on the back of his head and whip his eyes open with a surge of guilt.

Axel gasped, and pulled away quickly, staggering back in a daze from the other green-eyed male.

"W-what's wrong?" Xaros questioned, tugging his shirt collar back into place.

"I have to go, really. I forgot I still have a paper to finish off!" Axel turned away, his face flushed.

"Will I see you again?" Xaros asked as he picked up his bag from the floor.

"Y-yeah, sure." The redhead ran a trembling hand through his hair as he tapped his restless foot. "I have classes until five tomorrow. We can go out for dinner if you want—I-I mean, if you're not doing anything with your cousin or anything." He paced in place, irritatingly pulling his jacket down to hide the tent pole in his pants.

He heard a ripping sound, and saw Xaros tear off a piece of paper from a notebook. The boy scribbled something down, and got up, tucking the book and pen back into his red bag.

"'ere," the teen held out a piece of scrap paper, "give me a call when you are done your studies."

Axel took the number, glancing it over before slipping it into his pocket. "Where are you staying?"

"À la hôtel Dusk."

"A hotel? Aren't you staying with your cousin?"

Xaros pouted. "No, not right now anyway. I arrived 'ere this morning, but I cannot seem to get in contact with 'er."

"Oh, I-I see." Axel bit his lip, fighting the biggest desire to ask if the boy wanted to stay at his apartment.

_Fuck, Axel, you have Roxas, ROXAS. _

A mini angel with fiery hair had replaced his halo with two pointed chakrams, jabbing his face with their pointed ends. Similarly, a red devil with a blazing red mane was sitting firmly on his shoulder, cackling at the mortal's suffering.

_Oh come on, Axel, you totally want him to go home with you. You see that tent in your pants? Good enough for one more, big boy, and—wouldja lookit that—it's already set up, sleeping bags and all._

He flinched a bit when Xaros tried to kiss him again. He hesitated, but swooped down to plant a peck on the boy's lips and turning swiftly in place before the shorter male could progress further. He took long strides away from the boy, who called out a faint "Bon soir!"

As he walked briskly down the sidewalk towards his apartment, the man couldn't help but touch his kiss-swollen lips with the tips of his fingers. He cursed himself.

_You liked it,_ Axel heard a voice laugh cruelly, _you liked it so much, you wanted to throw him to the ground and get into him right then and there._

Why was Xaros so alluring? So cunning? He was supposed to be the one who'd always advance on his prey, not let a horny teenager get the best of him!

_Shame, shame, dirty Axel, grinding cocks with a minor, and in public no less! Have you absolutely no shame?_

Dangerous territory? Hah! More like forbidden grounds!

_You want him._

_**No! I want Roxas!**_

_You want him so bad._

The red head smeared his clammy hand over his tired face.

You are so going to Hell, Axel.

Unbeknownst to the male, somewhere close by, someone else was sharing the exact same thought.

You are _definitely_ going to Hell, dear Axel.


End file.
